Baby carriage body suspension



Dec. 15, v w. JACKSON 7 1,837,049

BA BY CARRIAGE BODY SUSPENSION Filed Aug. 15, 1930 INVENTORZ Jasf fi hid/4060M, BY

- ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE .rosrrn w; Jamison, or BROOKLYN, YORK; AssIoisron rower rmrmrrnm.

or BROOKLYN, new YORK BABY CARRIAGE BODY sosrnnsron 1 Application filed Au ust 15, 19w.- Serial No. 475,590; 1

The invention has for an object to effect improvements in the suspension of baby carriage bodies on the runninggear', and especially to present a. novelconstru ction in a I combined spring suspension andcradle structure for baby carriages? which may be constructed at. a low cost which willfoccupy a arrangement and combination ot parts in-,

volved, asmay be more readily understood from the following description andjthe accompanying drawings, wherein Figure; 1 isja side elevation of the carriage with the wheels broken away. Y r 1 Figure 2 is'a plan of the cradlerunning gear witlrthebody removed. V

Figure dis a cross section adjacent one of. the body rests. y

Figure; 4 is-a similar view with the body removed to show the spring suspensionswing construction.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary; rear elevation showing the swing lock.

Figure 6 a detail of a modified spring suspension. Y i

There is illustrated a body and a running '35 gear, comprising principally a wheeled frame comprismg the axles 10 and longitudinal side members 11 fixed on the axles; The members 11 are curvedupwardly at their rear parts and extended to a suitable height adjacent the waistline ot a person to form pushers 12, then recurved rearwardly and provided with a transverse handle v13. At the forward parts also the side members are curved upward, but extended to a lesser height, forming forward hanger brackets 14 Attached to the inner sides of thehanger brackets and pusher 12, there is abracket ear hanger bolts 16, so that'the, latter may have pivotal movement in the brackets. The bolts haveomam'ental head-s17 at their up rends and confined between the heads and rackets therea-re respective helical springs 18,. surrounding the bolts. The bolts extend below the brackets sufficiently to be connected to the upper ends of two identical cradle hangers 19, each consisting of a piece of strap metal having a substantially horizontal central portion 20 from which-the ends 21 curve upward gradually in conformity with the shape of a carriage body to be described. The upper extremities 22 of the hangers 19 are bent outwardly at right angles and apertured to-receive the ends of respective bolts therethrough to which they are held by nuts 23, or otherwise: 7 I V Spaced a suitable distance apart to sup ply cradle rests for the body orthe carriage,

two rectilinear flat-topped cross members 24 are mounted pivotally at their ends on the respective horizontal portions 20. The cross members are of broad strap metal. Their mounting is effected by bending their ex-.

tremities downward forming eyes 25 at the ends; of the cross members, and mounted on the sidemembers of therunninggear there are small brackets 26 providing ears in which pins are mounted engaged revolubly through respective eyes 25.

The body 9 may and formed of basket-work, wood, metal'or other materials. Its lower part includes a part rounded transversely of the body in a suitable shape to permit the body to rest upon androck onthe' cross members 24 in i such manner that the center of gravity of the body 9 rises as the body is rocked in either direction from a medial position, The body is held securely upon the, cross members by means of flat leaf springs 30, half the width ofthe cross members, and of about the same length as the cross member, or somewhat longer. These are secured side by side upon the cross members'at one end of each spring only, so as to tend to spring into flat contact relation with the cross member and in aline- V ment therewith. The free ends of each pair 15 centrally apertured to receive loosely otherwise securedto the body with a flush be of conventional shape,

finish so that the body may rock and be inclined until the fastening is between the body and the cross member without producing a jar of the body therefrom in its rocking movement. These springs serve the triple purpose of wear-plates preventing Wear and damage to the body 9, centering and retaining the body in proper position for free rocking movement on the cross members, and opposing excessive swing of the body in its rocking movements, as well as returning the body to initial medial position when at rest.

Other means for retaining the body upon the cross members may be employed, and other pivotal connections between the cradle hangers and the running gear frame may be employed if desired. Thus, the cradle hanger mounting may preferably be constructed in accordance with the disclosure in my prior application Serial Number 208,199, July25, 1927, body suspensions for baby carriages, as illustrated. in Figure 6 herein, where the bracket on' the pusher is formed with a spheric bearing, and the bolt has a ball head resting directly in the spheric bearing, while a spring 18 is engaged around the bolt below the bracket 15, resting on a nut on the larger extremity of the bolt, and the ends 21 of the cradle hangers are rested on top of thespring and engaged around the bolt. This would involve less interference and obstruction above the body. I

It will be observed that the axis of pivotal movement of the cradle hangers is higher at the rear than at the front. This is done in order to produce a maximum swinging movement at the head portion of the carriage where such movement is principally effective upon a child in the carriage, and yet the swinging movement kept within moderate limits.

In order to readily and promptly lock the carriage against swinging or rocking action when desired, there is provided on one of the cradle hangers 19 a: latch device or the like at 31. This consists of a leaf spring having a bolt 36 revolubly mounted therein. The spring is engaged with the bolt near the outer end of the latter, and is under tension to press the bolt inward toward the body 9. The bolt has a head at its outerend for manipulation of the bolt, and immediately inward of the spring a squared part 37 is formed thereon, while outwardly of this in turn there is a cylindrical end portion 38. The squared portion of the bolt is engageable slidably in a square opening in the cradle hanger on which the fastening is mounted, and on the body 9 in line with the bolt when thebody is in its medial position, there is a socket piece 7 '39 adapted to receive the endportion 38 of the bolt. By pulling the bolt 36 outwardly until the squared portion 37 clears the hanger 19 and then turning'the' bolt slightly, the

bolt will be held in retracted position pressed against the hanger 19 by the spring 35. This latch bolt 36 will serve both to stop swinging movement on the hangers 19 and also prevent rocking of the body on the cross members 24, being eccentric to the axes of both movements.

The running gear is shown equipped with a brake mechanism such as shown in my copending application Serial No. 425,635 filed February 3, 1980. In this brake device the main or ground-engaging lever or yoke 21 corresponds to the element numbered 21 in the application No. 425,635, but at the upper extremities a right angle extension or arm 40 is formed on each adapted to extend upwardly, and offset to engage the outer sides of adjacent hangers 19 when the brake is in released position, as shown in Figure 1, thus preventing the hangers from swinging in either direction. When the brake is applied this arm 40 lies below the hanger 19 which is thereby permitted to swing freely while the carriage running gear is held stationary. This arrangement increases materially the safety of such devices, in which rocking of the body while the carriage is being moved on its wheels is ordinarily dangerous. Rocking at such times involves the possibility that a baby will cause excessive rocking movement coinciding with swinging movement, with or without accompanying other impulses transmitted from the roadway or otherwise incident to progression of the carriage, sufficient to cause an upset.

When the carriage is stopped therefore, the body 9 may be rocked on the cross members by releasing the device 31 from engagement with the body 9 or, that may be left engaged, the brake released and the body 9 swung to and fro across the running gear and otherwise holding the running gear stationary. Or, both rocking and swinging movements in coordiation and conjunction may be utilized by disengaging the device 31, and keeping the brake applied.

The brake applying means in the present instance consists of a lever 42 whichis a rearward extension of the toggle lever 25; which corresponds to the lever 25 referred to in my said prior application.

I claim:

1. In a baby carriage a wheeled frame having four supports at the corners of a projected quadrangle, parallel pendant hangers having their ends pivotally connected with respective supports, said hangers having medial lower parts of substantial length, transverse members pivotally connected to both said medial parts, a body rockably mounted on the transverse members, and a releasable lockin g device co-engageable between the hanger and body at an upper part eccentric to the axes of both swinging and rocking movement of the body. i

2. The structure of claim 1 in which spring means is connected between the b )dy and the transverse members to yieldingly oppose rocking movement. 7 r

3. The structure of claim 1 in which the transverse members are flat topped, and the body has a bottom portion shaped to conform to a cradle rocker bottom side continuously convex and two flat leaf springs over each 10 transverse member each having one end connected to the transverse member and the other to the body and conforming to the shape of the body.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH W. JACKSON. 

